New Zealand Travel Notes | Lake Matheson, Bruce Bay, West Coastline

Hokitika

New Zealand has just entered spring and is still very cold.

Because we were traveling from warm Australia to New Zealand, we felt the lingering chill of late winter as soon as we got off the plane in Christchurch.

In this early spring, the temperature difference between day and night is large. It's fine when the sun shines during the day, but in the evening, especially when the sun has just set, especially in the mountains, a dark atmosphere will begin to envelope the place, the temperature will drop sharply, and people will tremble like dogs.

It was rainy, wet and cold for the next few days. The first thing I did when I arrived at the hotel every night was to look for the heating switch.

  

On this day, because I didn’t sleep well at the airport the night before, I was cold the next day and had a low fever late at night.

Although I brought some household medicines, I did not bring fever or cold medicine. Because these drugs often contain pseudoephedrine. New Zealand has stricter controls on such drugs, so I didn’t bring them with me to avoid customs clearance trouble.

I have never gotten sick while traveling, this is the first time.

I can't go out alone to buy medicine at night because this is just a small town and I don't expect there to be a 24-hour pharmacy. I had no choice but to turn on the hotel heating to the maximum, pour a large cup of hot water (a must-have for mothers every time they get sick), and prepare a hot towel to apply to my forehead. FinallyI sweated when I went to bed in the middle of the night.

        

Maybe I got a good night's sleep, and I woke up the next day feeling pretty good.

I packed my luggage and loaded it into the car, and put the concierge key in the key box at the front door of the Motel. I drove down the street and found a breakfast shop to experience the morning style on the spot.

I paid the bill, picked up the cake and coffee, chose a seat by the window, spread out the map and started planning today's itinerary on my phone, while quietly observing the goings-on in the store.

Or read newspapers and periodicals alone, or chat quietly with two or three friends. Eating breakfast does not seem to be the most important thing, enjoying the relaxation of this moment is the ultimate meaning. However, it should be a common thing for New Zealand residents. For people like me who live in a fast-paced city, it is rare to find some time to kill.

Originally, I planned to go to Glowworm Dell in the evening if I arrived at hokitika early. In addition to Waitomo on the North Island, this is said to be a glowworm cave on the South Island.

But it is not actually a firefly, nor is it a hole.

The Glowworm here is a flightless worm; the hole is not a hole, but a dense forest. I heard that this place is starry at night, as if you are in the Milky Way, quiet and beautiful.

But because I spent too much time at Pancake Rocks, I arrived here very late. In addition, it was raining and I felt uncomfortable, so I had no choice but to give up.

I have to add another item to the list of regrets in my notebook.

West Coast West Coast

"The beauty of New Zealand's South Island is all on the west coast."

Starting from Westport (Westport, Westport) in the north, go all the way south, passing Punakaki (Pancake Rocks, Pancake Rocks), Greymouth (Greymouth), Hokitita (the above mentioned The town where you stay overnight), the foot of the two glaciers Franz Josef and Fox, all the way to Haast (Haast) . This section of the itinerary overlaps with Route 6, which is very suitable for driving along the route and visiting each section. Many netizens say this is New Zealand’s Great Ocean Road.

Driving on the road, you will see mountains, glaciers and forests on one side, and beaches and oceans on the other. With such indescribable visual beauty, it is no wonder that Captain Cook was willing to stay here for more than half a year to complete the survey and mapping of the island, achieving a life-long feat.

On this day, my plan is to go all the way south to the end of the west coast, then bypass Mount Aspiring National Panrk (Aspa Mountain National Park) , and finally stop in the town of Wanaka.

After checking, the total distance is almost 420 kilometers.

The sky was not as bright as I wanted, and it was a gloomy gray-blue tone all day long. Without blue sky, white clouds and sunshine, the scenery would be much inferior.

Lake Mapourika Lake Mapourika

Before we arrived, I was still wondering what this lake looked like.

When I saw it, I realized. "Hey, it turns out to be it."

Why I say this is because I have seen this scene in many promotional videos or landscape newspapers, or in some travel photos; it is also on the cover of the famous photography book "Lost in New Zealand". Unfortunately, the gray sky did not make the largest lake on the west coast look as beautiful as the picture. The beauty of New Zealand, the pure blue sky plays a great influence and role in it.

This lake was formed during the last glacial period, so now it no longer receives meltwater from glaciers and only relies on rainwater accumulation. And because the wind in this area is high in the Southern Alps, the deep blue lake water calmly reflects the woods and sky all year round.

 

Lake Matheson

During this day's trip, I visited 4 lakes. Matheson is the most special one on the route and the most famous one.

What’s special about the route is that the other lakes are on the edge of Route 6. When passing by, you can pull over and walk a few steps to get there; but for Lake Matheson, you have to change directions from the town of Fox and drive further for about ten minutes. , and that’s not all.

After parking, there is a leisure cafe at the entrance for tourists to take a rest. Because the lake is hidden in the forest, if you want to see the scenery, you have to walk on the trail around the lake. It takes 1.5 hours to complete the whole journey, but it is divided into 3 viewing platforms. There is no fork in the one-way road, so either continue forward or go back the way you came.

It was raining heavily when I arrived. After carefully reading the signs and itinerary reminders at the intersection, I decided to go to the cafe to drink hot tea first and wait for the rain to pass before setting off.

 

It is famous because it is one of the most iconic landscapes in New Zealand.

Lake Matheson is located near the Fox Glacier. More than 10,000 years ago, the glacier moved toward the ocean, and the ground sunk downwards, forming a depression. After the tide ebbed, melted snow water and perennial rainwater filled the formation, creating what it is today. A mirror lake embedded in the ancient forest of Fox.

On days with clear skies, Aoraki Mt cook (Aoraki Mt cook, New Zealand’s highest peak) and Mt Tasman (Tasman) are reflected on the lake. Mountain)The two snow-capped peaks in the east form a stunning painting. The morning mist here in the early morning and the golden mountains illuminated by the sun when there are no clouds are all beautiful scenery that tourists and photographers flock to.

 

Unfortunately, when I arrived, the heavy rain had stopped and the clouds were so dense that I couldn't even see the outline of the mountain, let alone the beautiful and picturesque reflection. Moreover, when I first walked from the parking lot and walked across the pontoon bridge of the Clearwater River, I was frightened by the dark brown water and thought it had been polluted. Not to mention the surroundings, there are very few industrial areas in New Zealand. After talking with residents who came for a hike, I learned that this unpleasant color was due to the surrounding vegetation diluting organic matter and spreading into the water. As it continued to flow forward, it soon became clear again.

Fox Glacier Fox Glacier

There are three major glaciers in the South Island: Franz Josef, Tasman and Fox . In my next trip, one of the fun activities is glacier hiking, and I went to Tasman. But in order to decide which one to go to, I did a comparison between them. It will be posted in the information summary later as a reference for friends who are planning to go. I came to Fox here mainly because I happened to be on the way, so I came to the foot of the glacier to have a look.

But along the way, the rain started to pour again. Driving on a mountain road in bad weather really made me feel less at ease. Driving slowly across the mountain road, there was gravel along the way, and the working frequency of the wipers could no longer keep up with the speed of rain hitting the glass.

It was raining heavily at this time, and the flash points on the water surface in the picture above were all raindrops being smashed indiscriminately. The color of this section is very beautiful, without the turbidity of glacier melt water, it is a cool and refreshing ice blue. Further forward, closer to the foot of the glacier, the water becomes turbid. It was also foggy and visibility was extremely low.

After a difficult drive to the entrance, I found another mountain road that required hiking. A no-travel line was put up where the mountain collapsed, and the rainwater formed a small river, making it difficult to move forward everywhere. The road was also very rugged and muddy. At this time, I felt very irritable and had no intention of exploring and enjoying the scenery. Wearing a raincoat and holding an umbrella, we walked for less than 10 minutes and decided to get back to the car and leave.

But now that I think about it, I feel a little regretful.

Maybe the scenery after passing through the wind and rain will be more magnificent? There is no way to know.

  

Bruce bay Bruce bay

When we drove to Bruce bay, although we had left the rainy area, the weather was still gloomy. The sea surface and the road surface are all covered with a layer of fairyland fog.

This is a famous white stone beach, famous for its smooth and smooth white stones. When I arrived there, four Korean boys in an RV were happily taking photos. I really envy the feeling of traveling with friends in a group. When I get older in the future, I will remember the mountains and rivers we have traveled through together.

I don’t know who started it. He piled the white stones and wrote his name on them, made his own little wish, and piled the white stones into a small pile. If you look carefully, there are different words from all over the world.

This is the United Nations rock pile of a cultural variety show.